Improvement in horse-collars



F. MAR TE NS. Horse-Collar.

No. 222,636. Patented 'Dec'. 16, 1379.

FIE

TATES PATENT fission.

FRIEDRICH MARTENS, OF STRALSUND, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF, JOHANN DEHMLOW, AND GUSTAV MOLLHUSEN, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT lN'HORSE-COLLARS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 222,636, dated December 16, 1879; application filed August 23, 1879 patented in Germany, April 28, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Frnnnmon MARTENS, of Stralsund, in the German. Empire, have invented new and useful Improvements in Horse Collars, as fully described hereinafter, and for which invention I have obtained Letters Patent in Germany, dated April 28, 1878, No. 3,391, and have made application for Letters Patent in Great Britain, under date of August 8, 1879; in Belgium, France, Denmark, Italy, and Norway, under date of July 31; in Russia, under date of August 1; and in Austria, under date of August 4, 1879.

The object of my invention is to so construct the collar as to adapt it for adjustment, and consequently to its use upon horses indiscriminately; and to that end the invention consists in the peculiar construction of the sectional metallic hame-plates of the adjustable collar, and means for locking the sections rigidly together when adjusted to the neck of the horse, all as hereinafter more fully dc scribed, and shown in the accompanying drawings.

Figure l is a front elevation, and Fig. 2 a side elevation, of my improved horse-collar. Figs. 3, 4,,and 5 are detail views, on an enlarged scale, showing the loekin g devices, and Fig.6 is a transverse section of the hameplates; and. Figs. 7 and 8 represent the key employed to lock and unlock the collar-sections.

Similar letters of reference are employed to indicate cor nponding parts Wherever such may occur in the above figures of drawings.

My improved horse-collar is made in three sections, A A A respectively, the former fitting the crest of the neck, and the latter the sides thereof and the shoulders and breast. The contour or shape of the opening of the collar formed by said sections is that of the neck of a horse so as to fit snugly, and the curvature is such that when the sections are adjusted to enlarge or contract the neck-opening, the shape thereof shall be preserved.

The sections A A A are arranged to slide upon each other, and are of such dimensions that when extended to their fullest capacity they will yet overlap each other sutliciently to permit of their being rigidly locked together.

Each section of the collar is sewed to a hame or hame-plate, B, of metal, preferably steel, said plates having grooves 1) formed along the edges to receive the stitches. The

plates B are concave and tapering in thickncss from the center to the said edges, so that the greatest thickness is along the center line of the plates, and in practice I form on that line a head, I), or re-enforce.

, It is evident that by this method of constructing the hame-plates I obtain the best results, the strain upon said plates being transversely to the line of greatest thickness or strength, as clearly shown in Fig. 6.

The upper and lower extremities of the hame-plate of section A are slotted, as shown at to, Figs. 3 and 4, and the upper extremity of the plate or band of section A is similarly slotted, the lower extremity of the latter plate projecting over the corresponding plate of section A, while both the ends of the plate of section A project over the upper ends of sections A A The three sections of the collar being independent of each other, any device or appliance for locking them rigidly together may be em-, ployed when the sections are adjusted to fit the neck of a horse. The curvature of the three sections is such that when adjusted to enlarge or contract the neck-openin g the shape of said opening shall be maintained, this feature of the invention being plainly shown in Fig. 1, and from an inspection of which it will be evident that either by enlarging or contracting the neck-opening the shape of the latter is preserved, as well as its relative proportions. If the neck-opening is to be contracted, the taper thereof will be proportionally contracted by the inward motion of the lateral sections A A and so will the breastcurve be contracted by the inward or lateral movement of section A upon section A, which is an important feature, as it isevident the collar would becomeuseless were the shape of the neck-opening destroyed by the adjustment.

l have above stated that any device may be employed to lock the sections rigidly together when adjusted, though I preferably employ the improved and simple locking devices shown in the drawings, and more especially in Figs. 3, 4, and 5. This locking device consists of a locking lever or arm, 0, carrying or provided with a serrated locking-head, 0, adapted to engage a serrated plate, B formed on or attached to the outer or upper end of the hameplate of section A, and to the lower and upper ends of the hame-plate of section A of the collar, the serrated plates being slotted like the hame-plates. Thelocking-lever O is, at its upper end, eccentrically pivoted to the locking latch or knob D, provided with a fiat bearing-face, d, and a contracted neck, 61.

In order to afford a solid bearing for the locking devices I provide each hamc-plate, B, of the sections A A with a re-enforce or bearing plate, 13, Figs. 2, 3, and 4, which, with the serrated plates attached to the ham e-plates underneath, form a strong bearing for the looking devices.

The locking-lever 0 passes through a slot, b formed in the outer ends of the hame-plate B and its re-en force B of section A, and through a like slot formed in the lower end of the hameplate and its re-ent'orce of the section A of the collar, a locking device being employed for each section.

The length of the slots at in the hame-plates of the collar-sections A A and their respective serrated plates B is such that said sections may be drawn out to adjust the collar to lit the neck of the largest horse.

When the collar-sections are adjusted the locking devices Will be in the position shown in Fig. 3, and by placing the forked end of the key E, Figs. 7 and 8, around the neck of the knob or eccentric D, and pressing it down, the locking-lever C will be raised and its serrated head brought in contact With the serrated plate B the broad bearing-face of the knob or eccentric D being then in contact with the bearing B on the hame-plate, look ing the two sections rigidly together, as shown by Fig. 4.

\Vhen unlocking the sections the eccentric D is tilted back by means of the key E to release the locking-lever from the serrated plate, as will be readily understood.

F F are straps, by means of which the sections are strapped together, so that the overlapping padded portions of the sections will fit close together to form, as much as possible, a uniform surface on the neck-openin g, and to that end the overlapping ends of the padding or stuffed portions of the collar are made tapering, as shown by Fig. 1.

Instead of a central head on the plates I), a groove may be formed to receive a central row of stitches.

G G are hooks or eyes, to which the traces are connected.

By means of the above-described construction of horse-collar I not only provide a collar adapted for use upon horses indiscriminately,

but also adapted for light or heavy draft.

Having noW described my invention, What I claim is 1. A hame-plate for horse-collars, constructed as described, and having perforated edge grooves b to receive the stitches, by means of which the padding or stuft'edportion of the collar is sewed to said hame-plates, as specified.

2. A hame-plate for horse-collars made of metal and concave in form, provided with perforated edge grooves 71, and a central bead or groove, 1), said plate being made to taper from the center to the edges, as and for the purpose specified.

3. In an adjustable horse-collar, a locking device consisting of the eccentric D, lockinglever 0, having the locking-head 0, in combination with the slotted serrated plateB of the hame-plate B, of one of the collar-section s, and the slotted and reenforced end of the adjacent section, constructed and operating substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In Witness that I claim the foregoingIhave hereunto set my hand this 7th day of October, 1879.

FRIEDRICH MAR-TENS.

Witnesses:

GEORGE LOUBIER, BERTIIOLD Roi. 

